IAG Cargo will increase capacity to and from South Africa by 90 tonnes a week with direct flights between London’s Heathrow Airport and Durban.

The Boeing 787-8 service will be launched on 29 October, operating on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays offering up to 15 tonnes of cargo capacity per flight.

The British Airways service will bolster IAG Cargo’s position in the region, adding to the operator’s 300 weekly flights into and out of Africa and the Middle East, and connecting Durban to IAG Cargo’s network of over 350 destinations.

IAG Cargo director of sales, marketing and products, Camilo Garcia says: “IAG Cargo has a flexible network investment strategy where we respond as quickly as possible to customer demand. Our latest service underlines our commitment to giving our customers the capacity and routes they need, and further highlights the strength of our industry-leading proposition to the African market.”